The Grandview Heights Public Library is known for its digital music collection, but now an older format is making a comeback. On Friday, Jan. 21, the library began loaning out a collection of 30 vinyl records to patrons.

"It's kind of funny because we're offering a throwback format ... while moving forward with digital," said Canaan Faulkner, coordinator of adult programs and web content at the library. "We're responding to what our patrons are using."

Chicago rock vets The Smoking Popes announced this week details of their sixth studio album, This Is Only a Test, due out March 15th on Asian Man Records. To coincide with the release they will embark on a spring tour that wraps up with a home city show at Double Door on Sunday, April 3 (tickets are currently on sale here). The band also have two other Chicago area shows lined up: February 19th at Montrose Room in Rosemont and February 25th at Mojoes in Joliet.

Steel Panther are a glam metal band from Los Angeles, California and are mostly known for their profane and humorous lyrics. Formed in 2000, the band has formerly been known as Danger Kitty, Metal Shop and Metal Skool.

The Aldo Nova song "Fantasy" was remade by the band into a faster paced song for the MTV original series Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. The remake was released on iTunes on December 8, 2009 and their album Feel the Steel was released in June of 2009.

In December 2010 their website offered a free download of their new Christmas song "Sexy Santa".

In January 2011 Michael Starr confirmed the songs, "Tigerwoods", "Summertime", "Fuck I Like Drugs", "Supersonic Sex Machine", and "17 Girls In A Row" for the new album in 2011.

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Gibson.com has a wonderful write-up, check it out:

On the Road Again: Why Bands Play Classic Albums Live

By Peter Hodgson

Is it a coincidence that as album sales decline, more bands seem to be playing more concerts in more markets than ever before? Musicians are becoming hip to the fact that their new albums aren’t exactly burning up the charts like they used to, and that, perhaps, their back catalog is worth re-examining. Often this is in the form of a greatest hits tour, but more and more often, popular acts with a decent history under their belts are choosing to play entire classic albums every night, sometimes to mark an anniversary, and sometimes just for the fun of it.

Recent album-oriented tours include Mötley Crüe playing Dr. Feelgood, The Cult playing Love......

GORGUTS: 'From Wisdom To Hate', 'Obscura' Albums To Be Released On Vinyl

War On Music Records has announced the upcoming vinyl release of the GORGUTS albums "From Wisdom To Hate" (2001) and "Obscura" (1998). These records were largely regarded as pioneering works in the technical death metal genre, and set the standard for the decade to follow.

"From Wisdom To Hate" will be made available on LP for the first time ever, limited to 1,000 copies and coming in April. "Obscura" will be issued as a double LP several months later, coinciding with the upcoming CD reissue of the long-out-of-print album.

Norwegian metallers TOMORROW'S OUTLOOK have revealed the tracklist and the final cover art, for their upcoming debut album, '34613.'

The band have released the following statement:

"34613 has been in the works for the past two and a half years, so it feels real good to complete the tracklist with a new song called 'Ice Mountain'. Ice Mountain is about one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. It's about how the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time (1912), struck an iceberg and sank, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people. I guess you've all figured by now the song is about The RMS Titanic. Graham Bonnet (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, ALCATRAZZ, RAINBOW) is upon our request writing the lyrics and he will also handle all vocals. Ice Mountain will not sound that far off something he did back in the days with Alcatrazz and IMPELLITTERI, and it will definitely be one of the highlights on the album. We are really overwhelmed working with one of our all-time favourite singers. Well, while we are waiting for Graham Bonnet to finish this last song, we are putting the final touches on the rest of the album. Right now we're recording some additional vocal harmonies and some additional guitarparts for a few songs. We're getting there, slowly but surely, just like good wine! We will start shopping for labels real soon so stay tuned for more news coming up shortly!"

34613 was recorded on a song-by-song basis (mid 2007 through mid 2010). It was recorded in different locations around the world (Norway, USA, Finland and Germany). All the mixing and mastering was handled by Colin Davis at Imperial Mastering (Pacheco, California).

KISS have plans to enter the studio in March to begin work on a new album that they hope to have out by the end of the year. Guitarist Tommy Thayer spoke to BackstageAxxess.com about the plans during the recent NAMM convention.

Goldmine Magazine is reporting that a record has sold for $125,000. The valuable record? None other than The Beatles, 'Introducing The Beatles,' LP, still sealed.

This was listed as a factory-sealed copy of The Beatles’ 'Introducing The Beatles' first stereo release on Vee-Jay (VGLP 1062), complete with the original $1.99 Alexander’s store label and supposedly the only version like it known to exist.

This is also the most counterfeited record in the business, however, I highly doubt that this is a fake, given the provanance.

But, that is an aweful lot of money, my feeling is that two bidders got way over their heads on this deal and
whether the sale will ultimately go through remains to be seen.

enough of that...
In 1956, Elvis Presley's smash single, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released by RCA Records, who had just purchased Presley's contract from Sun Records for $35,000. The song sold 300,000 copies the first week and would eventually sell over a million, becoming Elvis' first Gold record.

On this date in 1967, General Motors began offering an eight-track tape player as an option in their Buick line.

In 1958, Little Richard left Rock and Roll and enrolled in bible school at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Richard explained that while flying over the Philippines on tour, the wing of his plane caught fire and his prayers that the flames go out were answered, so he decided to dedicate the rest of his life to God. During his four years in school, he still had hit records with previously recorded material like "Good Golly Miss Molly". By the time he returned to music in 1962, the British Invasion had started and the best Richard could do was a minor UK hit, "He Got What He Wanted". In 1965, Jimi Hendrix backed him on "I Don't Know What You've Got, But It's Got Me", but the song barely cracked the US Hot 100, topping out at number 92.

Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was released in 1968. The release came 6 weeks after he was killed in a plane crash.

In 1973, Stevie Wonder scores his second US number one with his twenty-third Top 40 hit, "Superstition."

In 1993, Warner Brothers Records announces that it is releasing rapper Ice-T (real name Tracy Marrow) from his contract due to "creative differences." The previous summer the record company found itself in the middle of controversy over Ice-T's song, "Cop Killer". Marrow would go on to co-star in the police drama, Law and Order in 1999.

CVR Blog Spotlight - Sunshine by Jonathan Edwards

Edwards was forced to record this 1971 hit when one of the tracks recorded near the end of the 1970 sessions, "Please Find Me," was accidentally erased. Instead of redoing that song, he wrote a new one, which was "Sunshine." It was released as a single the following year and quickly became a hit.

There was a lot of controversy about this song when it came out. It was taken by many to be a repudiation of Christianity (check out the lyrics) and a lot of radio stations at the time wouldn't play it.

And Happy Birthday to Mike Patton (Faith No More) 1968 and Nedra Talley (The Ronettes) 1947